Typography is Information Architecture – How a Better Understanding of Type Goes a Long Way

Typography has always had an interesting relationship with information architecture – it’s impossible to imagine information, content, and media without it. Jan Tschichold famously quoted that “Perfect typography is certainly the most elusive of all arts,” but we don’t all have to be type experts to benefit from it. Instead, good understanding of typography can bring real depth to our work and have broad applications.

In this talk, we’ll go back in time to the printing industry, an older form of information architecture, to glean lessons still applicable today. We’ll also cover some typographic theory and practice and how it relates to the design of information systems and digital interfaces. Finally, we’ll explore some case studies to see how applying good understanding of typography in IA can make an impact on the user experience.